K&K Sound Systems Pure Mini

Passive pickup.

Mitchell MD100 Dreadnought. Needed to be able to plug in for acoustic sets scheduled in the near future. After a bit of research this seemed the best option.

Little body modification needed, just needed a larger hole for the end pin. Comes with instructions and supplies to make an installation jig that makes placement of the transducers very easy.

Output level is good for a passive pickup. Could be a bit louder but again it's a passive pickup. If you want loud use a preamp or active pickup.

Has a bit of a middy sound but with the Pure Preamp that cleans right up and has a nice full sound. Also running it through a Moen Uni-Comp Compressor -> Morley Stereo Chorus Volume (SCV) Pedal -> Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Pedal -> PA, Twin, or Firepod FP10 (Home Studio).

Play acoustic rock with a smattering of classic rock covers. Will work well for these music styles. I give it a 9 only because of the middy tone. Otherwise an awesome sounding passive pickup.

Still haven't gigged with it but based on my recordings and practice through my Twin I have no doubt that it will sound just as good. For gigs will be running through the pedal board into a PA with another acoustic and two vocals.

I would definitely buy this again if something happened to it.

I've been playing guitar for 9 years now. I played semi-professionally for about 4 of those years with a band but have been playing on my own the last year. I own this acoustic, 3 electrics, bass, drum set, bunch of effects pedals and a Fender Twin. I have been recording during most of that time in a home studio but I'm looking forward to getting back out and playing live.

The Mitchell MD100 I installed it on was originally my fiances. She played it a couple of times 5 years ago and then it sat unused. I did not own my own acoustic so she gave it to me knowing I would use it. Buddy of mine and I are going to be playing acoustic sets soon and so I wanted to add a pickup that would serve that function well. After much research and debating this is the one I chose. Although I have yet to play with it live I have recorded with it in my home studio and run it through my Fender Twin and it sounds rather good (especially considering the cheap guitar it is on).

It initially has a middy sound but with the Pure Preamp I am able to EQ that out and give it a nice full sound. A mixer could be used to the same purpose but I prefer having the controls at my fingertips.

Good price, easy install, awesome pickup. I wish it did not have such a middy sound but since that is easily fixed I have to give it a 10. Great product.

Pickup features: Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Martin OM 16 (DADGAD tuning)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: B-Band UST
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: See the K&K web site at www.kksound.com
You musical style(s): Mainly Irish/Celtic & original
Reason for pickup change: Just trying this style of pickup after years of under saddle pickups.

Perceived output level: Output level without a preamp is impressive...balanced, clear, and true. With the K&K Pure Preamp, it's amazing.
Tone: This is my first bridge plate-mounted pickup (glued to the bridge plate under the top), so wasn't used to the initial tone. It was good, but a bit bassy and not much treble. Using the K&K Pure Preamp, I cut the bass a bit, dropped the mids, and increased the treble quite a bit. The result is a very true acoustic sound with excellent balance all the way up the neck, even with the capo at the 10th fret it's clear as a bell. Much better than the B-Band that was in it.
Sonic evaluation: The Irish/Celtic duo I'm part of doesn't have any gigs for a while, so didn't want to drag out the big sound system and hook it all up. So I used my personal Biamp 350W 6-CH powered mixer with reverb and 10 band EQ hooked to a small set of speakers with subwoofer (excellent sounding practice system). Even with this smaller system, the K&K Pure Mini w/K&K Pure Preamp sounds fantastic.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Irish/Celtic, contemporary, original

Comments: Yes, I'd buy another one. I've been playing professionally for 30+ years. My other stage guitar is a 1970 Guild F-30 Paul Simon. What started this out is the LR Baggs LB6 in the Guild went out, so after a lot of online research and hearing sound clips with the K&K compared to other pickups, I ordered the K&K for the Guild, which is in standard tuning. After receiving the K&K, I got to thinking that I use the Martin a lot more since I play most of the Irish/Celtic music in DADGAD tuning, so did a switcheroo. I took the B-Band UST out of the Martin, put it in the Guild (sounds really good), and installed the K&K in the Martin. The K&K works very well with DADGAD, producing an exceptionally balanced, clear, and acoustic tone, bringing out the wonderful tonal character of this particular OM 16. So the decision to install the K&K in the Martin was a good one. Depending on how it works in a performance situation, I may end up getting one for the Guild as well....although the B-Band sounds pretty good and I only use it for a few songs. We'll see. The B-Band isn't quite as woody and acoustic as the K&K. Also, the K&K is better balanced than the B-Band. And I didn't get the middle pickup exactly centered between the G & A string holes. I practiced placement for a while before committing to gluing and was getting it pretty close, but as I was watching through the pin holes and lining up the pickup between the holes, I must have moved my hand down a bit at an angle instead of a straight line as I moved the pickup forward into position. So it's closer to the G string hole than the A. But even so, it still sounds great. K&K says there's room for placement error...thank God! The other two pickups are exactly centered where they should be.
I guess the only thing at this point I wish this system had is a light on the preamp to indicate it's on. Sometimes on stage I forget to unplug something if I'm not reminded by a visual prompt. It'd also be nice to have an ON/OFF switch insetad of having to disconnect the OUT plug to turn it off. But these are small concerns compared to the overall quality of the Pure Mini system with preamp. As many have already said, my Martin sounds like my Martin....just louder with more power.